Monasticism, Palestinean

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The monastic movement started spontaneously in the early 4th century CE in Egypt, Palestine, and Syria, already before Christianity became the official religion of the empire. By the middle of that century, monasticism had spread throughout the Christian East, and by the last quarter of the century, monasteries were common in all Near Eastern provinces. By the early 5th century CE, monasticism was fully integrated into the ecclesiastical establishment. Mo…